keelhaul

verb

keel·​haul ˈkēl-ˌhȯl 

keelhauled; keelhauling; keelhauls

transitive verb

1

: to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture

2

: to rebuke severely

Did you know?

The Brutal History of Keelhaul

In the mid-1600s, British monarchs were intent on using their powerful navy to expand their empire. Insubordination was not tolerated, and mutinous sailors were disciplined severely to discourage others from similar rebellion. Keelhauling was one of the worst penalties that could befall a renegade mariner. Although they definitely practiced the gruesome punishment, the British did not invent it—the Dutch did. Keelhaul is a translation of the Dutch word kielhalen, which means "to haul under the keel of a ship." Even after the practice was banned on European naval vessels in the mid-1800s, the word keelhaul remained in English as a term for a severe scolding.

Synonyms

• baste
• bawl out
• berate
• call down
• castigate
• chastise
• chew out
• dress down
• flay
• hammer
• jaw
• lambaste
• lambast
• lecture
• rag
• rail (at or against)
• rant (at)
• rate
• ream (out)
• rebuke
• reprimand
• reproach
• scold
• score
• tongue-lash
• upbraid

Examples of keelhaul in a Sentence

there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that

Recent Examples on the Web

And other than a recession, which generally keelhauls buyback plans, don’t expect companies to ease off their repurchases. —Larry Light, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2019

The threat posed by the AT&T-Time Warner merger is all the greater today because of the Trump administration’s initiative in keelhauling network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission. —Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 12 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

Dutch kielhalen, from kiel keel + halen to haul

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

keelhaul

verb

keel·​haul -ˌhȯl 

1

: to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture

2

: to scold severely